Determination: Chapter Two “The Journey Ahead”
The streetlights came on as the sun set. A cool breeze blew in through the window. Ryuu sat awake in bed as Nodoka prepared dinner. Ryuu had been thinking all long, still too injured to do much more than that. The only thing going through his mind was how to repay Nodoka for the kindness she had given him. He pushed himself up holding his ribs as he staggered to the window. Looking out upon the night sky he heard the phone ring downstairs. Thinking nothing of it he looked down to the street below.
The sound of the front door slamming shut awakened him from his daze. He looked in the direction of the door and saw Nodoka running down the street, her katana strapped to her back.
Seeing this he ran wincing down the stairs and noticed the phone off the hook. Ryuu picked up the phone.
“Madam, are you there?”
“Who is this?”
“Yes sir, this is Jusenkyou guide, where did Madam go?”
“I don’t know, how bout you tell me? What did you say to her?”
“It very tragic for young Saotome, I afraid that Nannichuan is drying up.”
“Drying up!? She must be on her way there then! She wants to give her son a normal life.”
“Madam do very dangerous thing coming here. It not safe here lately. All my visitors scared to stay here.”
“Oh no! I won’t let her get hurt!”
Ryuu dropped the phone and ran out the front door as he left.
“Sir, are you there?”
****
Injured, Ryuu found himself unable to catch up with Nodoka who now had put quite a bit of distance from her home. Ryuu continued running as fast as he could until his body gave out on him. The stress from running made his ribs hurt even worse and he found himself unable to run any further as he collapsed into the street. The wound on his head had reopened and soon he became light-headed and passed out.
****
As Ryuu lay there a young man walked out of a nearby restaurant. He saw Ryuu in the street then ran back inside, coming back out a few seconds later with a girl. The two of them ran over to Ryuu.
“Ok hun, let’s get him inside.”
The two carried him inside and up to a room on the second floor of the restaurant.
“Thanks, we’ll let him rest in here while I get back to work. I’ll take care of him after I close.”
Business was slow that night and soon she found herself with no customers. She started to sweep the floor as she waited. Suddenly she heard a crash as Ryuu stumbled down the steps and tried to get to his feet.
“What are you doing!? You’re hurt, you shouldn’t be straining yourself like this.”
She helped him to his feet.
“Let go of me! I have to leave!”
“You’re not going anywhere in this condition.”
“I’m leaving! Try and stop me if you want.”
“Geez, what a jackass!”
“Jackass!? Who the hell do you think you are calling me that?”
She slammed him in the side of his head with her spatula.
“Ukyou’s the name, okonomiyaki is the game, charmed I’m sure.”
Ryuu held his head in pain then got back to his feet.
“Okonomiyaki, eh?”
Ryuu walked over to the grill and poured some batter onto it then added some ingredients.
“I don’t have time to sit here and chat, I have to save that nice lady.”
He flipped the okonomiyaki.
“Now, if you know Ranma Saotome please tell him his mother has left for Jusenkyou and could be in a lot of trouble.”
He wrote a message using some sauce then tossed the okonomiyaki to Ukyou. As she stood there stunned he walked out the door his backpack over his shoulder. She looked at the message he had written.
“Like I said, I’m leaving, Ryuu Kumon”
Ukyou ran out the door and looked down but it was too late. Ryuu was long gone. It was near closing, so she closed up early and ran off towards the Tendos’.
****
“Get away you old freak!”
“C’mon Ranma, just try it on!”
Happosai glomped onto Ranma’s chest, still holding a bra in his hand. Ranma turned red in the face and grabbed Happosai by the head throwing him towards the screen door, which was opened at that moment.
“Ukyou!”
Happosai flew towards her ready to grab her chest.
“Dry up and die, jackass!”
She slammed Happosai up and out the roof with her spatula then turned to Ranma.
“Ranchan, do you know someone named Ryuu Kumon?”
“Hmph, that jerk? Yeah I know him.”
“He told me your mother is in trouble. Why would he say that? Who is he?”
“Mom!? Did he say where she was going!?”
“Um…yes, he said she was going to Jusenkyou, but that doesn’t explain anything.”
“I have to save her!”
“Well I’m going too then, Ranchan.”
She thought to herself, “I have to find out who this guy is. I’ve never seen anyone with that much skill in okonomiyaki since my father. This also gives me a chance to be alone with Ranchan.”
“You two aren’t going anywhere without me.”
Akane walked in with a backpack full of supplies, ready to go.
Akane thought, “No way am I letting her and Ranma be alone for that long!”
Ukyou was thinking, “She’s getting in the way of me and Ranchan being alone again!”
****
Elsewhere, Ryuu found himself at the cliff he stood on when he first arrived in Nerima. He turned and looked back at the town one last time before leaving.
“I have to save that nice lady at any cost! But it is too bad I have to leave so soon again. I was growing to like this place.”
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